-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Even during the harshest periods of the communist era , being Shanghainese had a special cachet in China .

The city and its residents were a synonym for Western fashion and open-minded attitudes , as different as could be from their Mao-pin wearing comrades .

Its personality remains just as strong today .

Shanghai is an unusual place . It 's Chinese , but not entirely ; its hybrid of Eastern and Western business and social traditions is found nowhere else in mainland China .

Here are the things that make China 's booming commercial hub a unique place in the world 's most populous country .

The Bund

A number of pockets in China have impressive Western buildings -- the German Quarter in Qingdao , Russian buildings in Harbin -- but none provide the surreal feeling of `` elsewhereness '' like the Bund .

The Bund refers to Shanghai 's waterfront on the west bank of Huangpu River .

Two dozen colossal Western structures , ranging in style from art deco to Victorian Gothic , stand side by side , forming a massive marble curtain .

View it from afar and you 'd think you were sailing into Liverpool . The 1,500-meter-long strip is a legacy passed down by one of the city 's former rulers , Great Britain .

It was largely built in the late-19th and early-20th centuries to establish Shanghai as the British Empire 's trading hub of the Far East .

The most magnificent building is today 's number 10-12 , the former HSBC building . When completed in 1923 , the seven-story neoclassical landmark was dubbed `` the most luxurious building from the Suez Canal to the Bering Strait . ''

The building 's original ceiling mural managed to survive the Cultural Revolution ; the octagonal mosaic painting is one of the best-kept secrets in Shanghai . It 's now in the lobby of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank , the building 's current occupier .

With the financial center 's move to the east bank of Huangpu River , the old Bund has become a new home for world-class hotels , restaurants and retailers .

Skyscrapers

According to Emporis , a global real estate data provider based in Germany , Shanghai ranks sixth among world cities with the most skyscrapers .

There are 241 skyscrapers in Shanghai , eight fewer than Dubai , 14 more than in Seoul and 103 more than the second mainland city on the list , Guangzhou .

Although towering blocks mushroom throughout the metropolis , the skyscraper center point is the Lujiazui Financial District .

On the opposite side of the traditional Bund , Lujiazui appears so futuristic that it 's become a Hollywood favorite as a setting for films , most recently featured in `` Her '' with Joaquin Phoenix .

Lujiazui is home to the most recognized high-rises in China , including the 468-meter Oriental Pearl TV Tower , the 421-meter Jinmao Tower and the 492-meter Shanghai World Financial Center . Since 1994 , each of them has had a turn as the tallest structure in China .

Next in line is the 632-meter Shanghai Tower . Scheduled to open in 2015 , the 121-story building is set to host what it claims will be world 's tallest luxury hotel , J hotel .

The 258-room hotel -- a joint venture between Shanghai Jinjiang Hotel Group and Interstate Hotels and Resorts -- will occupy the 84th through 110th floors of the Shanghai Tower .

International events and entertainment

When international events set up in China , Shanghai is as often as not the default host city . Large-scale events in Beijing tend to carry political messages , while those in Shanghai focus more on fun and glamor .

The Chinese Formula One Grand Prix is one of the biggest annual events in Shanghai . It 's the only Formula One stop in mainland China .

The Shanghai Masters -LRB- October 4-12 -RRB- tennis championship is attended by the highest-ranking players of the year . The week-long event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 .

Shanghai is also building a Disneyland . Set to open toward the end of 2015 , Shanghai Disneyland will be the first Disney theme park in mainland China -LRB- Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005 -RRB- and the sixth in the world .

The $ 5.5-billion investment will further promote Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in the realm of the Monkey King .

International food

High-quality international restaurants are springing up in Shanghai so quickly that it 's hard to keep track of them all .

New kitchens often set up on the Bund , around Xintiandi and in the former French Concession , as rivals to the established fine-dining scene in Beijing .

But look beyond the glitzy restaurant menus and into the homes of private residents , and you 'll see a tradition of international cuisine found nowhere else in China .

The city 's British rulers and Russian refugees may be long gone , but their food has remained .

Worcestershire sauce , that classic condiment from the United Kingdom , has a brother some 9,000 kilometers from home . Known locally as `` spicy soy sauce , '' Shanghainese Worcestershire sauce was first produced in 1930 to cater to the large expat market .

Nowadays , the yellow-labeled bottle is ubiquitous in supermarkets . Shanghainese usually use it to accompany deep-fried pork chops .

When Russians fleeing the October Revolution of 1917 came to Shanghai , they brought their borscht . The hearty beef and vegetable soup has evolved into Shanghai 's favorite comfort food . Local mothers usually cook it to treat friends and families .

Pidgin English

Colonial history has trickled down to Shanghai 's local lingo .

Shanghai dialect is filed with localized English words and pidgin English cultural identifiers unique to Shanghainese .

A spring lock is called `` si ba lin . '' Cement is `` si men ting . '' In Shanghainese , `` on sale '' can refer to a `` cheap '' person .

Shanghai dialect is incomprehensible to a typical Mandarin speaker , whose language is largely based on pronunciation and vocabulary from northern China .

Shikumen

Shikumen is Shanghai 's indigenous alleyway housing .

Series of stone buildings were built in the 1870s as a way to accommodate the city 's rapidly growing immigrant families .

When the Communist Party took over in 1949 , shikumen architecture was at its height -- there were around 200,000 shikumen buildings throughout central Shanghai , each divided into tenements to house five or even ten families .

As modern high-rises in Shanghai have grabbed international attention , however , these local architectural treasures have been ignored or even shoved aside . Since the 1990s , shikumen buildings have been getting pulled down more quickly than the skyscrapers rise .

But you can still find them in a few corners .

In Xintiandi , high-end restaurants , pubs and clubs have taken over the revamped old buildings . Tianzifang is a more Bohemian area . In its labyrinth of alleyways , indie designers hang up cocktail dresses next to self-employed vendors selling replica communist souvenirs in the courtyard .

For more authentic shikumen neighborhoods , CitÃ © Bourgogne on Shaanxi Nan Lu , and Jing ` an Villa on Nanjing Xi Lu , are throwbacks to a uniquely Shanghai experience that 's rapidly disappearing .

Now based in London , Tracy You is a native and longtime resident of Shanghai and a former CNN travel producer .

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Shanghai has long been a unique city in China

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Hybrid of Eastern , Western traditions is found nowhere else in mainland China

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Shanghai ranks sixth among world cities with the most skyscrapers , with 241

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Shanghainese dialect is filled with localized English words